One method of controlling the electromagnetic properties of vehicles is to provide a coating having known electromagnetic characteristics. Such coating typically includes a predetermined density of particulate matter wherein the particulate comprises a specified material having dimensions selected to provide the coating with the desired electromagnetic characteristics. Various methods for producing the particulate matter are known in the art.
Of the known methods for producing particulates, each suffers from one or more disadvantages. One of the primary disadvantages of known techniques is the inability to produce particles of a predetermined shape. All presently known techniques produce randomly shaped particles. Since the electromagnetic characteristics of the particles are in large measure a function of the shape thereof, the inability to produce particles of predetermined shape presents a built-in design inefficiency preventing the designer of the coating from achieving optimum electromagnetic performance. For this reason, these methods are not desirable.
In addition to being unable to produce particles of predetermined shape, prior art methods are further unable to produce particles of predetermined size. Prior art methods for producing particulates can, at best, produce particulates of a known size distribution requiring sorting to obtain particles within an acceptable size range. As discussed above, these methods are also incapable of producing particulate of predetermined shape.
Further, methods which require sorting are undesirable insofar as particles that are sorted out constitute waste. To eliminate or reduce this waste, the tolerance range of acceptable size of the particles to be produced must be increased. However, any deviation from the optimum size of the particles to be produced results in less than optimum electromagnetic characteristics of the resultant coating. Accordingly, these methods also require substantial compromise in performance of the resultant particles to allow manufacture with acceptable amounts of waste.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a method to produce particulate matter of controlled length, width and thickness.